Stefan Ortega will be in goal for Manchester City’s final two matches of the season after Ederson was ruled out for the rest of the campaign with a broken eye socket.
Ederson suffered what City described as “a minor fracture” in the 2-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur on Tuesday. Cristian Romero, the Tottenham centre back, caught the goalkeeper in the head as they both attempted to get to the ball in the second half.
After being treated by the club doctor, Max Sala, Ederson carried on playing for a few minutes before Pep Guardiola, the City manager, decided to replace him.
City insisted that all the correct protocols were observed in the on-field treatment of Ederson. After testing the 30-year-old Brazil international, the medical team were satisfied that he was not concussed, but Guardiola decided to take off Ederson because he was told the swelling around the goalkeeper’s eye would increase — which it did.
Further tests after the match revealed the fracture, which means that Ederson will be unavailable for City’s final Premier League match, at home to West Ham United on Sunday, and the FA Cup final against Manchester United six days later.
Ederson was unhappy to be substituted, kicking a cool box and throwing his gloves to the floor when he reached the City bench. His replacement, Ortega, then pulled off a superb save to deny the Spurs captain, Son Heung-min, when City were 1-0 up. That kept them on course for the result that took them two points clear at the top of the table before Sunday and the final day of the Premier League campaign.
After the match, Guardiola was full of praise for his back-up goalkeeper. “He saves us — otherwise Arsenal are champions,” Guardiola said. “That is the reality. The margins are so tight. The save from Son. It was incredible. One on one, Stefan is one of the best ’keepers I’ve seen in my life.”
City will become the first team to win the Premier League four times in a row if they beat West Ham. They will also secure the title if Arsenal fail to beat Everton at home, regardless of the result at the Etihad Stadium.
Ortega, 31, has kept five clean sheets in his 14 starts in all competitions this season. He has also replaced Ederson four times in the league because of injury. City signed the German on a free transfer after his release from Arminia Bielefeld in 2022.
News of the injury will also be of concern to the Brazil head coach, Dorival Júnior, who named Ederson in his 23-man squad for the Copa América last week. He must now decide whether to take Ederson for the three-week-long tournament, which begins on June 20, even though he is blessed with a top-tier alternative in Alisson, the Liverpool goalkeeper.
Foden: Playing centrally took my game to another level
Phil Foden, meanwhile, urged his team-mates to seize the chance to win their fourth successive title, a feat that he believes will never be repeated.
Speaking after being awarded the Football Writers’ Association (FWA) footballer of the year award, Foden said: “It would mean everything to me. We’ve got two finals left and we’ll give everything to try to achieve success and try to do the Premier League four times which has never been done before.
“It’s something the team knows. The team understands and we’re looking forward to trying to get it done.”
Foden sent his apologies for being unable to attend the FWA dinner in London on Thursday, citing a busy schedule and Sunday’s crucial match as reasons for his absence.
The England international credited Guardiola, a man he described as “the best manager in the world”, for helping to develop his abilities.
The Catalan eased Foden into the team slowly a few years ago and the 23-year-old is benefiting as a result, having scored a personal best of 25 goals this year in addition to 11 assists.
One of the reasons why he has enjoyed this season so much is that he has been able to play centrally because of Kevin De Bruyne’s five-month hamstring injury layoff at the start of the campaign.
“I’ve put a lot of hard work into this season. I feel like my game has come on massively this year and I’m delighted with how I’m performing,” he said.
“I’m playing with a lot of confidence, I feel like I’m playing in a position where I can affect the game a lot more, playing more centrally, and I feel my game has gone up another level. I’m still only 23, there’s a lot more to come.”
